Rediscovering kohlrabi: it’s perfect in soups!

Kohlrabi: yes or no? If you haven’t cooked with kohlrabi lately, I don’t blame you: I’m guilty as charged too! 🙂 I only remembered to start using kohlrabi again recently, after what must have been a decade-long break. I owe this to our family physician, who recommended this veggie for its amazing nutritional benefits. So far I have made kohlrabi soup and roasted kohlrabi, but I’m thinking of doing more experimenting with it soon (maybe air-fried kohlrabi? We’ll see). 

My kohlrabi soup is a work in progress too – for the past few months I have fine-tuned this soup mainly as part of my Meatless Monday project. I like that it’s plant-based (yess!), it’s flavorful, and it keeps me warm and comfortable during the cold days and nights we’ve been experiencing. 

My first few versions of this soup were more on the “paler” side:

I made up for the perceived lack of vibrancy by sprinkling harissa seasoning on top. Still, look-wise, something seemed to be missing – to me, anyway:

Things “fell into place” the moment I thought of adding sundried tomatoes to the mix. Not only did they provide glorious hues of orange and red, but they also augmented the flavors with their sophisticated sourness. Success!

This soup is as easy to make as it is delicious. You start off with fresh kohlrabi, which can be a bit of a challenge now that farmers’ market are closed. I was lucky to find super fresh kohlrabi at my local grocery store recently, but I admit finding quality kohlrabi is a challenge. Always go for the small bulbs, which are tender and sweeter than their bigger counterparts.

Cut kohlrabi and gold potatoes into chunks and bring to boil in a pan of salted water. 

While these are boiling, sauté a diced onion and a few sundried tomatoes in butter or olive oil for a couple of minutes or until soft and translucent.  

Once the potatoes and kohlrabi are cooked (about 30 minutes later), remove from water and place in a large mixing bowl along with the onion and sundried tomatoes. Keep some of the water – you might need to add it later on to smoothen the texture of the soup.

Blend until homogeneous. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some of the water from the boiled veggies if the soup is too thick and clumpy. Mix again until smooth.

Serve with chopped parsley and grated fresh kohlrabi scattered on top (the latter for a good contrasting textural element).

Inspired by my Instagram friend Yuko, I also garnished the soup with basil flowers from the garden. Such a great idea! 

This soup is nourishing, comforting, and delicious. While the combination of potato and kohlrabi delivers the foundation of the soup, the sundried tomatoes provide one extra step of persuasive flavor, which takes this dish to a whole new level. The sweetness of the onion and kohlrabi is so satisfying and so pure! Lastly, the crunchy kohlrabi and chopped parsley bring pure freshness to this bowl, making it sing energetic notes to anyone who ventures out to taste it.

This soup is addictive – readers, you have been warned 🙂

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn